Transform Your Stairs with Bold Treads and Risers

Stairs are just regarded as a means of access between stories, and never as an element of decoration unto themselves. Yet, stairs have an adequate level of interior area such that they must be decorated as well. Should you peek upward from near the bottom of the stairs, there is but visual access offered which permits the perception of only Stair Risers not treads.

You can tastefully and economically dress up the look of your stairs and make them serve as design elements by employing covers, runners, paint, wallpaper, laminate, peel-and-stick panels and decals, or tile on only the risers or both risers and treads.

The Velvet Imagine

If you want to keep things low-key, then bring in some velvet in your color of choice or a print that matches the look of the rest of your house. It will also serve to give some extra cushioning while going up and down the stairs.

Try out Tin Tiles

If you want vintage elegance, try using faux pressed-tin ceiling tiles to clad the anti-slip stair risers. The ornamentation has exquisitely embossed designs which are reminiscent of American houses during the late Victorian period.

You can even opt for full metallic, patented or weathered metallic, or painted finish (the latter usually white to replicate ornamental plasterwork) as per your choice. Alternatively, a suitable replacement for the tin tiles would be a distressed and paint-covered textured-pattern wallpaper.

Black and White

A stark black-and-white contrast can be wonderful, using patterns or solids (the latter of which can have a whimsical piano key effect). You can look for laminates and porcelain tile that are the ticket and loads of runners and carpet tile but don't overlook good paint. Consider applying a matte-or satin–or finish material or coat to the stair treads.

Think Pink

The title is the clue: have a go at using pink on the Stair Treads and Risers or both for a burst of bright but pastel color in otherwise neutral rooms.

Paint an imitation runner or tile the stairs, an actual stair runner, carpet tile, or laminate.

Let It Be Luxe

If you've already got a runner on your stairs, or you're insistent upon getting a runner, think about stair rods. They're the bars you may have seen elsewhere supporting the runner on the risers.

It's like jewelry for the stairs, a little bit of luxe. And they come in finial styles and finishes from brass to steel to gunmetal.

Use Shades of Gray

One of the most neutral shades that can be paired with any style is gray. Luckily, there are lots of tile with monochromatic gray imagery and designs as well as plain old gray in many different tones. Those will look best on the step risers, but you can also have stair runners that incorporate the same look monochromatic has to provide.

Copy Delftware

If you like a country, farm house, or traditional style, Delftware ceramic tile on the Stair Treads Covers will be something you might consider. For a more transitional appearance, utilize a series of new interpretations of old-world Delftware motifs in finish and color.